A colourful ex-pro athlete once dubbed Australia’s “king of cannabis” is facing criminal charges after he and a friend allegedly lead an activist group that used high-powered laser beams to project pro-marijuana messages onto the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge.
Former international skier turned entrepreneur and podcaster, William “Willy Biggs” Stolk, and content creator Alec Zammitt were arrested just before dawn on April 20 inside a room on the second floor of the Park Hyatt hotel, which has sweeping views over Circular Quay and direct line of sight to the Opera House.
The duo are alleged to have used laser devices in three different locations to project the words “who are we hurting” – the name of their collective – and the number “420”, representing the international day of cannabis action, on the Opera House sails, along with a picture of a cannabis leaf on one of the bridge’s pylons.
A four-minute video of the incident posted on YouTube at the time has racked up almost 15,000 views.
Stolk and Zammitt were held in police custody for six hours before being released on strict bail that prevents them from speaking to one another.
Both men have since hired former journalist turned lawyer Mark Davis, who has recently represented some of the Blockade Australia protesters in court.
The pair entered pleas of not guilty to a combined three charges of distribute etc advertisement etc on Opera House premises. Zammitt has been charged twice amid allegations he carried out a “test run” of the projection display a month earlier.
Speaking exclusively with The Daily Telegraph on Thursday, Stolk said the pair will defend the charges at a court hearing on December 20 on the basis that what they did “was not advertising”.
“We’re charged with projecting an image onto Opera House for commercial gain – there was nothing commercially to be gained out of the protest,” he said.
“No damage was done, we turned it off when [the police] told us to. There should be no ramifications for us other than a move-on direction or a fine.”
“But garnering a criminal charge for something that left no permanent mark on the building is ludicrous.”
“I feel this charge is very harsh and they’re trying to make an example of us to deter people from doing it again.”
A self-described “international man of mystery”, Stolk’s social media presence reveals he leads a high-flying life travelling to exotic places where he parties and smokes pot with glamorous, scantly-clothed Instagram models.
However, the savvy businessman is also the brains behind several successful projects including Ballin’ On A Budget, an online magazine which at its height had 1.1 million followers on Facebook.
Stolk said his latest venture, the soon-to-be-launched Byron Bay CBD, aims to bring hemp-related products to the American market. He said he needs to retain a clean criminal record in order to do business in the US.
“I’m not a criminal in anyway, shape or form,” he said.
The charge carries a maximum fine of $1,100. Stolk admitted he forked out more money simply hiring his lawyers, but said it’s about principal.
“I don’t believe we’ve done anything wrong,” he said.
By Shannon Tonkin for The Daily Telegraph
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